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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW
There is a large amount of mythical stuff
and nonsense included in these plans, and
while I have been interested in the arguments
produced, I am not a believer in their suc-
cess, and at times I have had grave doubts
concerning the sanity of the promoter."
WHERE THE DIFFERENCE EXISTS.
A DEALER who has
Between the cata-
logue house and the
been interested in
department s t o r e—
Price versus quality—
The Review campaign
the position of the
a n e n t the catalogue
manufacturer — T h e
regular will fight.
houses, asks why it is
that the mail order business as conducted by
the strictly catalogue houses is profitable,
while the mail order business of the depart-
ment store is generally, if not invariably, con-
ducted at a loss.
Broadly, the explanation may be phrased
thus: The mail order department is con-
ducted as a convenience, an attractor of reg-
ular trade. The mail order concern is a
money-making business.
The department
store could not sell the quality of goods
handled by the mail order houses and keep its
trade.
John Wanamaker testified before the Fed-
eral Industrial Commission that mail orders
in the department stores do not pay, and one
house in New York attempts to head off this
kind of business by advertising from time
to time that mail orders will not be filled.
The great department stores have built
eir business by giving excellent values to
,e customer. John Wanamaker is hand-
ling his piano department practically on the
same lines as his other departments—stores
we may call them, for the Wanamaker sys-
tem really includes a series of stores under
one combination. His piano store is handled
on business lines, and he does not offer pianos
of the cheap stencil variety. Every instru-
ment is sold in its class, and is precisely as
represented, thus Wanamaker has introduced
a healthy business element into the trade.
Now, the clientele of the exclusive mail
order house, or what we term the catalogue
houses, is made up of people who do not
understand merchandise and • its values.
They are interested in beautiful illustrations
and cheap prices offered for certain lines of
goods. It is the price rather than quality,
and the leader of the biggest catalogue house
in Chicago admits that he could not sell a
good piano; in other words, it must be of the
cheapest possible kind to interest his cus-
tomers.
Our suggestion to the dealers in the South
and West who have written us regarding
catalogue house competition, is to get some
<3f the instruments offered by the catalogue
houses under other names; show them pre-
cisely as they are, and when the matter is
brought up, and a customer tells of the great
piano bargains that he can get through the
Chicago catalogue house, just show him what
you can do.
But we question whether the intelligence
of the trade will long submit to the present
conditions, thai is, whether they will con-
tinue to purchase pianos of an institution
which supplies tne meanest of all competitors,
or whether they will permit piano manufac-
turing institutions who keep alive the cata-
logue house competition to supply them ex-
clusively in the future. We incline to the
belief that the manufacturer cannot long con-
tinue to sell the catalogue house man as weli
as the regular dealer.
A man cannot well ride two horses at one
time, and the piano manufacturer who seeks
to straddle the catalogue house trade as well
as the regular, will find his task somewhat
difficult.
These matters, it is understood, have been
quietly discussed by the officers of the dealers
association—the national one, which by the
way, will meet in New York some time dur-
ing the fall.
THE DICTATION OF UNIONISM.
J AST week business
men were hopeful
that all impending labor
troubles were removed
from the probability of
interference with the industrial affairs of the
country. The events of the past week, how-
ever, show that we may encounter serious
times before some conciliatory basis has been
reached.
The dictatorial de-
mands of u n i o n s —
Sympathy not with
the men this time—
feckless l e a d e r s—
Piano interests in no
danger at present.
enter into the matter, and the organization
itself has been recognized, but the whole
trouble is in the unionizing of certain mills.
In fact the labor men claim dictatorial rights
in the matter which the owners cannot con-
code.
The labor union has suffered no insult
or injury, it has not even been threatened,
but the leaders stand back, and because of
an anticipated wrong they wish to stop the
wheels of industry and practically tie up the
whole country, for no one can predict with
any degree of certainty where this trouble
will end if we become involved in a huge
labor war which the leaders threaten to in-
augurate to-day. If the troubles spread, and
sympathetic strikes become general, why, in-
dustries far removed from steel and iron will
be affected.
There is certainly little possibility of it
reaching the piano industry; but troubles of
this kind are infectious, like disease; once the
country becomes aroused there is no telling
where the troubles may end.
Dealers who are in the regions immedi-
ately affected must of course encounter ab-
solute business stagnation. Outside of that
there is always that indirect effect which
comes from the relationship which exists be-
tween all industries. When great interests
are involved it affects every one to a greater
or less expense because to a large degree we
are dependent upon each other's prosperity.
AWARDS AT THE "PAN."
In all of the great labor contests of recent
years there has usually been some fair
ground for dispute as to whether the work-
men were receiving sufficient wages. In the
present case no question of the sort is in-
volved. Unionism is the sole issue at stake,
and the disinterested observer has simply to
make up his mind whether, for the sake of
seeing the power of one labor organization
increased, he is willing that an indefinite
amount of harm should be done to business
interests, and incalculable suffering brought
upon the wage-earners themselves.
A S will be seen by referring to a report in
another part of this paper, the judges
of awards on musical instruments have al-
ready performed their task, and have depart-
ed to their various residential points. While
the exhibits at the Pan-American have not
been of colossal proportions, yet sufficient in-
terest is aroused to await the declaration of
the judges with considerable interest. It is
doubtful whether the names of the successful
exhibitors will be announced before Septem-
ber. Some bitter disappointments will be
the outcome of the reports of the Pan Jury.
What would expositions be without wrangles?
—like Hamlet with Hamlet left out.
In former strikes, notably the Homestead
and Pullman, public sympathy was largely
in favor of the workingmen, but now there
is a noticeable absence of public support in
the cause of the wage-earners. It is really
a battle between a reckless set of labor union
officials who are trying to extend their power,
and a corporation which contends for the
right of every man to choose his own con-
ditions of employment; for it should be un-
derstood that the strike is not over wages or
hours, the union scale having been ac-
cepted. The right of labor to unite does not
It is rumored that there will be no gold
medal awards given to exhibitors in the mu-
sic trade section. An interesting question
might be raised whether an exhibit is to be
judged by the standard of others at the same
exposition, or whether a standard is to be
established by some other instrument of na-
tional standing not represented at an exposi-
tion. Another point, whether the withdrawal
of any exhibitors from competition for
awards should reduce the grade of an award
to those who remain and compete for official
recognition.